aside from the last half page, this might be the most helpful and least purse-fighty thread in recent beeblife. what travel are you looking for and what pricepoint?
Strive was on the list. As well as the Ripmo V2, Sentinel V2, SB150, La Sal Peak, Mega 290 and a bunch of others. I don't think any of the major manufactures makes a bad bike. It really just came down to availability and price for me. Got a demo x01 build with the carbon reserve wheels for 3 grand off, and most importantly, it wasn't backordered until winter.
that really is so true. i basically went to a couple of shops and test rode everything in the travel range i was concentrating on to figure out what felt best to me (i put in a total of ~8h in two weekends of it). i ended up with a Pivot...
Oh totally forgot about Pivot. Them too. They are sold out everywhere around here though. I check the MTB forums/pages a bit and see people obsessing over geo/brands like crazy. Don't get me wrong, it all adds up, but they are all so close that for anyone not making money at this. I don't think it matters. Charging on the hardtail on downhill trails really did help me understand geo charts though and what I wanted in my next frame. But it didn't take long for me to realize they were all close enough that my beginner ass won't notice and likely won't for two or three more years at best. I've even bagged a few top tens on downhills already on the hardtail (okay, these aren't EWS runs for the record). Just rattled my teeth out in the process, but shows it's still more about the rider as it is in just about any sport. That said, I have an absolute blast every time I get on the bike. Fully addicted now.
Fezzari's HQ is about a half hour from me, I see lots of their bikes around. They make good stuff at a good price, but I just didn't get along well with the LaSal. The suspension just doesn't have the same feel as what I like. I'm waiting to see what Intense does with the carbine. The initial spy shots of their development rig and what Isabeau was riding for a bit have me interested, but who knows what the covid production shutdowns have done to the process. Might not be this year now, so I'll stick with the strive a bit longer. There are a lot of neat bikes in the trail and enduro segments these days.
how is the french dude not trying to own a Commencal? blowing my mind here (technically its Andorra but still). i have 2, and i'm gonna update my 2015 to a 2020 this winter i do believe. i like them.
Man, I've been drooling over the 2021 Orbea Oiz, it'd make a great stablemate to my Alma, but bikes are SOOOO expensive! Its difficult to justify $3000+ on a bike these days.
Just came in to say the weather was great last weekend here in Sedona. But you definitely couldn't last 1/2 mile. Oh wait you probably could and you'd spend the entire day riding and smiling. Side note: this pic is near Bell rock and my 14 and 13 old sons and I did a night hike since it was nearly a full moon a few weeks back. We stumbled upon a group of ladies doing nude yoga at one of the famous energy vortexes there. Sedona brings in some interesting types for sure...
its one of 4 bikes I own. The longest I’ve done solo is a 200 miles solo road race. the beach National is on 6-10” deep sand. 26 miles. If you can’t imagine the strength needed for that, your a rookie cyclist. There’s nothing harder to power through than loose sand almost a foot deep. No coasting, no resting, nonstop constant cadence.
I ordered my first new MTB: an Ibis Ripmo AF. I hope I don't hate it, since I couldn't find a demo anywhere. I can't believe I'm buying a bicycle that cost more than my first two racebikes combined.
How do you like your rack? I'm torn between the NV 2.0 and the Thule T2 Pro XT - I'm leaning towards the Kuat but either way I can't find a new one in stock so I will likely be waiting for a while.
I have this rack and I love it. Super fast to load bikes on it, cheap, and is lockable. https://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Hitch_Bike_Racks-sf-Platform_Rack.aspx
Man its super flippin nice. Very solidly made and the knob to tighten up the freeplay in the hitch is genius. Integrated locks too. It wasn't cheap, but the construction and feel of it you can tell its extremely well made.
Seriously. I don't know how this is even up for debate any more. 1UP, no shitty plastic garbage. Be done with it.